Got a press release that should be of interest in my email box this AM:
Nozomi/Right Stuf Announces the REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA: The Student Council Saga DVD Set Limited Edition. First remastered, premium set available on June 7, 2011.
This first of three, limited-edition DVD box sets will feature remastered video and a newly created Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese audio track from the recent Japanese DVD release, as well as Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo for English and Japanese audio, plus English-language subtitles and on-screen translations. On-disc extras will include the clean opening and closing, both a live-action video and TV spot for the opening single, and TV commercials for the Japanese release. Additionally, the set will be housed in a collectors’ art box and also include a book with content from the limited-edition Japanese release with episode commentary, discussions about the series’ updated audio, video, and opening and closing sequences, and the first installment of production notes from the Japanese laser disc release. Only a limited quantity of this premium set will be produced.
DVD Features:
Scene access, remastered video from the recent Japanese DVD re-release, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo audio for English and Japanese dialogue, new Dolby 5.1 audio for Japanese dialogue, English subtitles and English on-screen translations. PLUS: Clean opening, clean closing, live-action video for opening single, TV spot for opening single, and TV spots for the Japanese remastered DVD release. AND: A book featuring content from the recent, limited-edition Japanese DVD box set, including episode commentary, a discussion of the updated audio and video, discussions about the series’ opening and closing sequences, and production notes from the Japanese laser disc release (part 1).
To pre-order, visit http://utena.rightstuf.com/.
Furthermore, Cryssoberyl says: Let me add that the audio has also been remastered and sounds fantastic….The quality of the later sets was somewhat improved, but nothing that can compare with the new remastered version. …the difference in quality is every bit as dramatic as they make it look. However, it’s not simply a matter of improved color, clarity and encoding. In conclusion, the amount of loving effort that has been gone to, both by the Japanese creators to polish the show and by Nozomi in their protracted efforts to bring it to us, is unprecedented. I’m not sure there is any other show that has ever received such a luxurious re-release. At $49, this set is a steal. At $29, it is plain thievery. (This is extracted from the comments field, so check there for some links and the full comment!)
Holy crap, that box is beautiful. I think that sold me more than anything else (though the extras sound fantastic, too). :)
Thanks for the head’s up, Erica. Especially given that the pre-orders are $20 off right now. (Much better than what I paid for these episodes the first time I picked them up back in the day, ouch!)
@Jst – It is very much my pleasure to be able to share news like this. ^_^
The box art looks so stylistic, it’s so tempting to pre-order it right away. If I didn’t have my treasured Central Park Media set, I wouldn’t hesitate.
I don’t know what to think, except this couldn’t be a better time to pre-order it. There’s currently a Nozomi sale on Right Stuf lasting until Thursday!
@Eric – I never managed to get the whole CPM set (even though I was friend with them!) so I’m definitely going to pre-order this. ^_^
This just made my crappy day great! Thank you Erica! I need to preorder this nao!
@Absolute Anne I’m glad to being some cheer to your day!
Payday coming two days before the sale ends, I’m just going to sneak in under the wire on the sale for Utena set 1 pre-order and Aria the Origination right away.
With the earth being so aggro at the moment, I need some of Aria’s Aqua right now.
Also, if you go to Nozomi’s website for the show you can apparently send questions to the director, kind of like they did with Marimite!
Eric, you should definitely treat yourself to this set. As someone who also owns both the CPM originals and the Japanese remastered sets, I can assure you that the now-prehistoric CPM releases simply can’t stand up in quality to the remastered version you would be getting here at a very, very low price. That’s even leaving aside the huge number of extras that Nozomi has worked very hard to put together. In short, it is absolutely worth the money.
@Cryssoberyl – That’s terrific!
Would you mind if I moved your endorsement into the body of the post itself? I think people would like to hear that. :-)
OH GOD YES.
…I actually started crying with how happy this post made me. Utena is by far the most amazing anime (dare I say VISUAL MASTERPIECE?) I’ve ever seen. I thought I’d have to settle with eventually buying it on VHS over eBay but my prayers have been answered.
FOR THE REVOLUTION OF THE WORLD!
Oh, I am so, so, so jealous of this box art. I love my CPM boxsets, but darn if these remastered DVDs aren’t making me want to spend the money… XD
…what, pre-orders are $20 off?!
Not fair! o.O
Cryssoberyl-I’ll consider it now. I’ve got until tomorrow for the pre-order sale!
By all means, Erica. Let me add that the audio has also been remastered and sounds fantastic.
It’s worth remembering that the first CPM set to be released came out in 1999, which was still the Stone Age of anime on DVD. (This is back in the days when anime “previews” were static images you scrolled through with your remote…) The quality of the later sets was somewhat improved, but nothing that can compare with the new remastered version. Here are some screenshots, with the CPM version on the left and the Japanese remaster on the right:
Opening
Utena
Anthy
Rose Bride
These aren’t my images, but I can attest that the difference in quality is every bit as dramatic as they make it look.
However, it’s not simply a matter of improved color, clarity and encoding. There are even a few changes to the imagery of the show itself. Most notably, the Black Rose Coffins in Nemuro Memorial Hall, which were empty in the original version, are now occupied…
Coffin 1
Coffin 2
Coffin 3
Coffin 4
And this isn’t even mentioning the extras, which are copious.
In conclusion, the amount of loving effort that has been gone to, both by the Japanese creators to polish the show and by Nozomi in their protracted efforts to bring it to us, is unprecedented. I’m not sure there is any other show that has ever received such a luxurious re-release. At $49, this set is a steal. At $29, it is plain thievery.
Ah, some Aria relief from the blood pressure inducing news from Japan’s nukes is on the way. I already feel a little better in anticipation.
Also, in the pull down menu were you say how you got there, I picked “Other” and in the text box “Okazu blog”.
@Bruce McF – Thank you. I’ve never noticed that feature, but I sure appreciate the props!
The announcement from Nozomi/Rightstuf about re-releasing Utena came out right after I’d gotten a hold of the last dvd from the CPM release I’d been missing. (That was a real pulling my hair out moment…) I’d been debating since then whether or not I’d want to buy the remastered version or not. The artbox, tons of extras, and all the comments here definitely pushed me firmly into the ABSOLUTELY YES camp. I ordered it, and even convinced my friend to pre-order it as well. :D
I noticed that the listing on Rightstuf says “Languages: English, Japanese, and English subtitles.” Out of curiosity, does that mean it will include the horrifically bad dub from the CPM release? That would be kind of funny, actually.
I don’t know if others have noticed yet, but there’s an announcement on RS that customers who pre-order all 3 sets on RS’s website will receive an additional gift free. In case you weren’t getting enough awesome Utena stuff yet. :D
(Here’s the link to the announcement: http://www.rightstuf.com/rssite/main/news/individual/?ForumThreadName=FT0000002235&ReturnTo=Archive)
@Jackie – Interestingly, you’re the first person I’ve personally heard from that called the CPM dub bad. (I never listened to it – I’m a total sub snob.) Yes, I believe they are re-using the CPM dub.
And yes, there is an announcement of extras for folks who pre-order all three sets. But no hint of what that might be!